Thesis (Ed. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-122). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The thesis examines the living conditions of low-income households in Hanoi during a period of economic, social and political change. The aims are viewed in the context of rapid urbanisation. The study further considers how factors associated with low-income have affected the perceptions of respondents in regards to their domestic environments and to the environment at varying spatial levels. These perceptions are then compared to the contributions made by the State, non-governmental organisations and international donors to reveal that although information exists this rarely reaches those in low-income neighbourhoods. A number of research methods revealed that an econometric approach alone does not reveal the true characteristics or diversity of living conditions in the areas studied. Conditions varied within and between study areas highlighting the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and how, while lack of income can contribute to lack of environmental conditions, it is not the only factor. Education, political affiliation and age in particular are of crucial importance in explaining living conditions and attitudes to the environment. As a result the thesis contributes to the growing literature on sustainable urbanisation and illustrates the importance of adopting holistic and participatory approaches. By focusing on Vietnam during the 1990s, this thesis has revealed the importance of considering macro-level economic and political structures in the development of theory and policy during processes of transition.

Two prospective studies were conducted to examine the social and built environmental barriers to physical activity among middle childhood youth in a low income, minority, urban community. The mixed method design first explored parent and child perceptions related to the social and built environmental barriers to middle childhood, ages 8-12, physical activity (PA) for families residing in East Austin, and then compared those to barriers identified by a systematic objective assessment of the neighborhoods of residence. Study 1 was a qualitative study where middle childhood-aged students and their parents participated in six parent-only and student-only focus groups. The focus group prompts encouraged discussion of the participants's perceptions of built and social environmental barriers to PA within their community. The parents identified traffic, crime, limited programming at local PA sites and technology, such as video games and television, as barriers to middle childhood PA. While the students discussed traffic and crime, they expressed less concern than their parents, and although they acknowledged that television and video games competed with PA, they expressed a desire for more family PA. Study 2 was an environmental study incorporating spatial analysis and systematic objective observation. Five East Austin neighborhoods were selected from those represented by the Study 1 participants. The neighborhoods and nearby recreational sites were mapped. Built environmental barriers were located and crime and traffic data were incorporated for each specific neighborhood. The measured barriers were then compared to the perceived barriers from Study 1. The spatial analysis revealed that the youth of East Austin have access to many parks and PA sites. Built environmental barriers included railroad tracks; traffic danger and fenced commercial properties blocking access. Social environmental barriers included limited age-appropriate programming for middle childhood-aged youth. / text

A 2003 review of the literature shows a lack of formal institutional research focusing on the development of critical thinking as a situated experience--occurring in a specific context with a complex set of dynamics. Rather, much of the emphasis has been on learning outcomes as measured by various psychometric-approaches or an instructor's assignment, exam, or course grade. The problem with sole reliance on numerical data is that in it sheds little light on why or how a student performed the way her or she did in class, on an exam, or a standardized test in the first place. The purpose of this case study is to explore the experiences of students as they are situated in a first-year seminar that focuses on the development of their ability to think critically. Thus the author constructed a study that attended to both the content (critical thinking) and the context (the learning environment) in a way that presents students subjective experiences, and for the most part, articulated in their own words. The students were participants in a college success program, which requires that they take a first-year seminar in critical thinking. Constructed as a two-phase, sequential mixed methods design, statistical results from the College Classroom Environment Scales (CCES) are primarily used for descriptive purposes. Administered at the end of the semester, the CCES includes the following six constructs: cathectic learning climate, professorial concern, inimical ambiance, academic rigor, affiliation, and structure. The content and structure of the questions, however, were primarily used to guide the second phase of the research. During this qualitative phase, the researcher conducted personal interviews to probe deeper into students' experiences. After reconstructing the three classroom environments, the researcher focuses on students' preferences for and challenges in learning to think critically through discussion and the instructor's role in mediating safe, comfortable discursive environments conducive to risk-taking through public reasoning. Data interpretation is guided by work in discourse analysis as well as theoretical work in rhetoric and philosophy. Framed within a social, political, and ethics approach, the dissertation is largely influenced by American philosopher and education theorist John Dewey. Detailed recommendations for instruction and future research close the dissertation. / text

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Conflicts bring deaths and disabilities, population displacements, destruction of properties and changes to societies. Conflicts also devastate the economy, health, education and institutions. Within this context post conflict reconstruction contributes to overcome the legacies of conflict through reconstructing the enabling conditions for a functioning peacetime society. Post conflict reconstruction involves a wide range of interventions needed to reactivate the development process that has been disrupted by the conflict. With regard to the post conflict interventions, post conflict housing reconstruction plays a vital role in establishing the development and peace in conflict affected countries. Despite its importance, the success of post conflict housing reconstruction is hindered by a number of problems such as lack of community participation, lack of strategies to address the challenges faced by vulnerable people, lack of consideration of local and cultural conditions, lack of consideration of socio-economic conditions of affected people, poor technical oversight and a lack of security of land tenure. Consequently these problems have caused dissatisfaction resulting in some people to remodel or abandon the houses. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the lack of consideration of housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction has directly or indirectly given rise to most of these issues. Therefore addressing these needs would contribute to minimising the issues of post conflict housing reconstruction and adequate housing measures provide guidelines in such situations in addressing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction. However, the countries emerging from conflicts have different characteristics that add a different dimension to post conflict housing reconstruction. Accordingly, addressing housing needs cannot be considered in isolation without considering the challenges pose by the characteristics of the post conflict setting. In this context, there is a need to understand how these particular housing needs can be effectively addressed. Accordingly, this study addresses this eminent need by exploring how can the housing needs be effectively managed in post conflict housing reconstruction. As Sri Lanka’s long lasting conflict came to an end in 2009 leaving a legacy of immense damage to housing, post conflict housing reconstruction remains prominent within post conflict interventions in the country. Accordingly, Sri Lanka provides a sound basis for this study and hence the study is centred on it. Ontological and epistemological positions of this study led to subjectivism and interpretivism respectively. Grounded theory approach was used as the research strategy. While unstructured interviews were used as the primary data collection technique, interviews were supplemented by creative visual images. Interviews were also verified through a documents review. Grounded theory data analysis procedure was used to analyse the unstructured interviews. The study reveals the challenges, contributing factors and strategies in addressing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction. It also identifies the gaps in managing housing needs and recommendations to minimise such gaps in managing housing needs in post conflict housing reconstruction. Furthermore, the study develops a theoretical framework that presents the associated challenges, contributing factors, strategies, gaps and recommendations to minimise such gaps in managing accessibility, habitability, affordability, location, facilities, cultural consideration and security of land tenure in post conflict housing reconstruction. Key words: Conflict, Post conflict, Post conflict reconstruction, Post conflict housing reconstruction, Housing needs and Managing housing needs.

Quality has proven to be an effective management concept in the twentieth century and a powerful catalyst for driving organisational effectiveness and competitiveness. In recent years, research interests have shifted from the implementation aspects of quality and thus the shaping of local and organisational cultures that drive quality through continuous improvement and optimisation, towards the emerging concept of sustainable organisational excellence. The construction industry is a key pillar of every country’s economic activity. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, continued strong growth is demonstrated by the number of landmark projects, both residential and commercial, in development across the region. The construction industry in the GCC has become more sophisticated, complex and daring than ever before and the pace of development and expansion appears unabated, despite the economic downturn. This study looks specifically at the challenges the construction industry faces in the process of implementing quality management principles and creating effective quality cultures that can deliver organisational excellence and performance impacts on a sustainable basis. The research closely scrutinises how quality cultures are defined and created in various construction-based organisational settings and aims to assess the effectiveness of quality culture maturity. A combined integrated methodology was used to examine a list of critical success factors identified in the literature review. By using six case studies spread across three GCC countries and a survey questionnaire distributed to members of all GCC countries, plus the affiliate country of Jordan, 46 critical factors emerged as dominant (and with high significance). Several unique contributions to the existing body of knowledge were added through this study. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of the literature, this study used an integrated triangulated methodology suitable for researching the GCC construction industry.

Originally Published: 2002; Revised / 3 pp. / Environmental conditions between awn emergence and the end of flowering is the overriding factor in disease development. 2 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Cultural practices may be partially effective in controlling Karnal bunt but cannot eliminate the disease completely. Karnal bunt is most likely to be found in areas where lodging or water ponding have occurred.

The purpose of this study was to see how lack of toilets along with occupational heat affects health and prosperous. It is based on interviews made on women and men working in the surroundings of Chennai, India, with and without access to toilets, that all are affected by occupational heat. Questions about their perception of how their health is affected by working in heat are asked. There are also questions about how their work is affected by their toilet situation. Some of the interviewees have access to shadow and to toilets and some do not have any access to these facilities. Totally 72 people have been interviewed, 58 women and 14 men. 50 of them had access to toilets and 22 did not. All of the interviewees are affected by the heat and some of them have diseases that indicates on health problems caused by no or limited access to toilets. The workers with no access to toilets are the group that have most health problems and are also the group that go for urination and defecation least. The workers with access to toilets are the group that have least health problems and go to the toilet most. Men with no access to toilets go more often than women with no toilets and are more similar with the group with access to toilets. This report is a minor field study, funded by SIDA, and made in collaboration with Sri Ramachandra University, India.